01.02† To
support the goal of maintaining a climate of academic integrity, Texas State
University has adopted the Texas State University
Honor Code.
The Honor Code applies to all academic activities and academic work, whether
these take place on-campus, off-campus, or online.

01.03† Texas State expects students to engage in all
academic pursuits in a manner that is beyond reproach. Students found in
violation of the Honor Code are subject to disciplinary action.

01.04††† Honor Code cases and processes are not
considered legal proceedings. Advocates and supporters, including legal
representation, may be present at meetings and Honor Code Council hearings, but
their role is limited to consultation with the student or faculty member. They
do not have an active role in presenting information during meetings or
hearings.

4.Substituting for another student or permitting another
person to substitute for oneself in taking an examination or preparing
academic work.

5.Bribing or coercing another person to obtain an
unadministered test or obtain information about an unadministered test or
other academic products.

6.Purchasing or otherwise acquiring and
submitting as one's own work any research paper or other assignment prepared
by another individual or by a firm. This section does not apply to the
word-processing of the rough or final versions of an assignment by a
professional service.

7.Submitting the same essay, thesis, report, or other
project, without substantial revision or expansion of the work, in an attempt
to obtain credit for work submitted in another course.

9.Using unauthorized materials or information from others
for a take-home exam. It is expected that students do independent work for
exams whether they are take-home or in-class. Students are expected to comply
with the guidelines set by the instructor.

Collaboration/Collusion

†The unauthorized collaboration with another
person in preparing any work offered for credit. Examples include:

1.Collaborating, without authorization, with another person
during an examination or in preparing academic work. In some instances,
instructors may indicate permitted forms of collaboration with other
students. If the instructor does not indicate that collaboration is
permitted, it should be understood that none is permitted. Students are
encouraged to seek clarification from their instructors regarding the
acceptable parameters for collaboration should they be in doubt regarding
assignments that require group work. Instructors are encouraged to make their
policy regarding collaboration explicit both orally to the class and in
writing with each assignment. Acknowledgement of collaboration is required
when presenting authorship of student work.

Plagiarism

Including the
appropriation of another's work and the inadequately or inappropriately
acknowledged incorporation of that work in one's own written, oral, visual,
or original performative work that is offered for credit. Examples include:

1.Submitting an assignment that was written during a prior
semester or submitting the same assignment for more than one class
simultaneously to include resubmitting substantial portions of previously
written work for a current assignment, unless instructors in multiples courses
are informed of and approve of the submission. Students should consult with
their instructors if unsure of what work of their own they may use in
preparing an assignment.

2.Copying from another studentís paper partially or
entirely or from any source without proper citation such as a book, article,
notebook, video, or other source material, whether published or unpublished.

3.Inserting a passage from the Internet or any computer
source into oneís paper without proper citation.

4.Appropriating another personís computer programming work
for submission as an assignment.

5.Failing to attribute material that comes from other media
sources or failing to obtain proper permission for the use of such material
when creating a web page, film, or musical composition as a course
assignment.

6.Any other appropriation of anotherís intellectual
property without proper attribution.

7.Citing sources improperly, which includes failure to use
quotation marks or other appropriate notation for direct quotes or for an
authorís distinctive phrases, and following an authorís structure of writing
and ideas, but rephrasing the sentences partially to give the impression that
the whole passage reflects the studentís structure and ideas.

Fabrication

Including intentional and unauthorized
falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic
exercise.† Examples include:

1.Furnishing false information, or falsifying or distorting
data.

2.Forging a signature to certify completion of an
assignment or falsifying attendance records to fabricate proof of attendance.

3.Collaborating with another student to falsify attendance
records to fabricate proof of attendance.

4.4. Fabricating data in support of laboratory or field
work.

5.5. Intentionally misrepresenting oneís academic
accomplishments.

6.Fabricating or falsifying a bibliography.

Facilitating Academic Dishonesty

Intentionally or knowingly helping or
attempting to help another to violate any provision of this policy. Examples
include:

1.Providing to other students oneís own work or that of
others with the reasonable expectation that these will be used for the
purpose of cheating or plagiarism.

2.Maintaining a file of exams or papers with the reasonable
expectation that these will be used for the purpose of cheating or
plagiarism.

3.Theft of other studentsí notes, papers, homework, or
textbooks for academic gain.

4.The use of any electronic means to assist another without
authorization.

5.Copyright infringements.

02.04† Following
are definitions of persons, with their titles and responsibilities, with
jurisdiction over the Honor Code.

a.Faculty
Member Ė an instructor of record regardless of that person's academic rank.

b.Student
Ė any person enrolled in a course, whether a full-time or part-time student,
whether for credit or audit, and whether in residence, or by extension or any
form of distance education.

c.Honor Code Council Ė a group
made up of a minimum of 14 trained faculty members, two from each of the seven
academic colleges, except the Honors College, University College, and The
Graduate College, and 14 trained
students. The Faculty Senate will appoint the faculty representatives to serve
three-year renewable terms with two appointees designated as Council chair and
vice chair. On an annual basis, the Student Government (Senate and House) will
appoint the student representatives, with approval from the dean of Students
and vice president for Student Affairs. The orientation session for the Council
will cover the Honor Code policy thoroughly, as well as procedural processes.
Every member will sign a confidentiality agreement, and provide their contact
information to the associate vice president for Academic Affairs (AVPAA) office.

d.†† Hearing Committee Ė a group of
representatives from the Honor Code Council that must include an equal number
of faculty, excluding the Council chair or vice chair, and students with a
minimum of three faculty and three students to hear an appeal. A total of six committee
members must attend the hearing with the non-voting Council chair or vice-chair
serving as the hearing officer. The student appealing the Honor Code violation
has the right to waive the requirement to have six committee members present.

02.05† Academic penalty Ė one or more of the
following sanctions that the student may receive for academic honesty
violations:

a.a
requirement to perform additional academic work not required of other students
in the course;

b.a
reduction in grade in the course to any level; and

c.†† a reduction in grade on an examination, or on
other academic work affected by the violation of the Honor Code.

02.06† Disciplinary penalty Ė any penalty a student
may receive in a student disciplinary matter pursuant to the official Texas
State Code of Student Conduct.

03.02† When a faculty member reasonably suspects that
a student under the faculty memberís supervision has violated the Honor Code,
the faculty member will follow the following procedures. The student or faculty
member may consult with the Council chair regarding the matter or with the AVPAA
on policy and procedural concerns. All allegations must be treated as
confidential. Students generally have the right to remain in the class until
the conclusion of the Honor Code investigation.

a. † Within
a reasonable time frame, the faculty member will complete the Honor Code Review Form and note his or her
determination on the alleged violation and academic penalty to be imposed as defined in Section
02.05.

b. † The faculty member will then contact
the student verbally or in writing to schedule a meeting to discuss the matter,
with other communication arranged for exceptional circumstances. The faculty
member may elect to conduct all processes through electronic or telephonic means. The faculty member
will explain to the student both the suspected code violation and the evidence
that supports the allegation that the violation occurred. The faculty member
may rely on documents, written statements, or other evidence. The student may
respond in writing or in person, and may present evidence and witnesses, in a
manner determined by the student. The faculty member should have the Honor Code Review Form completed and ready
for the student to review. The faculty
member will also advise the student of the option to accept or reject either
the faculty memberís determination or the academic penalty and provide the
student with copies of all documents.

c. † Students who fail to respond to the faculty
memberís attempt to schedule an initial meeting or refuse to attend a meeting
will be referred to the Council chair and AVPAA. A hold will be placed on his
or her academic record until the matter is resolved. An Honor Code Review Form will be completed by
the faculty member and filed with the AVPAAís office.

d.†† After conferring with the student, if the
faculty member does not ††believe the
student has violated the Honor Code, the matter will be considered resolved, no
further action will be taken and all related documents will be destroyed.

e.After
conferring with the student, if the faculty member still suspects the student
has violated the Honor Code, the faculty member will give the student three
business days to respond to the suspected code violation. If the student
accepts the faculty memberís determination, the student will so indicate in
writing on the Honor Code Review Form and waive his or her
right to a hearing. The Honor Code Review Form and copies of any
evidence should be delivered (electronically preferred) to the AVPAAís office. If
the student does not accept the faculty memberís determination, the student
will so indicate in writing on the Honor Code Review Form. The faculty member should
immediately forward all documents (electronically preferred) to the Council
chair and AVPAAís office.

f.††† If the student fails to respond on the Honor Code Review Form within three business
days, the faculty member should immediately notify the Council chair, as well
as forward all documents (electronically preferred) to the Council chair and
AVPAAís office. A hold will be placed on the studentís academic record until
the matter is resolved.

g.Students
who are accused of academic misconduct, but drop the class before the case is
resolved, will be reenrolled in the class by the University Registrarís Office until
the Honor Code process has ended. The allegation will be documented on an Honor Code Review Form and filed with the
AVPAAís office. Withdrawal from the course does not protect a student from receiving
an ďFĒ in the course or from other sanctions being imposed, nor does it halt further
Honor Code proceedings.

h.A
student involved in academic misconduct regarding a course in which he or she
is not enrolled will have a hold placed on his or her academic record until the
matter is resolved. An Honor Code Review Form will be completed by the
Council chair and filed with the AVPAAís office. The Council chair will refer
the matter to the Office of the Dean of Studentís (DOS) for further review.

i.Students
who are accused of academic misconduct, but subsequently withdraw from the university
without having addressed the allegation will have a hold placed on their
academic record until the matter is resolved. An Honor Code Review Form will be completed by
the faculty member and filed with the AVPAAís office.

03.03† The Council chair will convene a hearing if the
student rejects the faculty memberís determination and penalty. The Council
chair will also schedule an informal meeting with the student to explain the
hearing process. In the case of flagrant or repeated violations, the case will also
be referred to the DOS for review.

a.†† Once the Council chair is notified that the
student rejects the facultyís determination or penalty, the chair will make
every effort to schedule the hearing within 10 business days. The chair will make exceptions on a
case-by-case basis for extenuating circumstances. As appropriate, processes may
occur through electronic meetings.Prior to the hearing, the Council chair will give the student and faculty
member reasonable notice of the scheduled hearing.The chair will provide copies of the
supporting evidence, and provide the hearingís date, time, and location. If
the student fails to attend at the appointed time, the hearing will be held
without the student present.

b.†† In addition, the student is allowed to
provide evidence to refute the allegation. The student should provide copies of
any evidence at least three business days prior to the hearing. Additional materials may be
requested from either party. The student will have the opportunity to respond
to the Honor Code violation and evidence during the hearing.†

c.†† The hearing, with the exception of the
panelís deliberation, will be audio recorded. The student or faculty member may
request an audio electronic copy of the hearing at no cost. Requests for
additional records that incur an expense will be paid for by the requesting
party. All individuals attending or participating in the hearing will be
required to sign an Honor Code Hearing
Attendance Log.

d.†† The Hearing Committee will consider all
materials submitted and make its recommendation as provided in this policy. The
Hearing Committee makes two assessments; whether to uphold the faculty memberís
finding of academic misconduct and whether to uphold the penalty. A tie vote confirms the faculty memberís
determination. If there are multiple students challenging the same findings,
the Hearing Committee will hear each studentís evidence separately and will
vote on the evidence separately.

e.†† After conducting its review, the Council
chair will submit the Hearing Committeeís recommendation to the student,
faculty member and the dean of the college where the alleged violation occurred.

f.††† The Hearing Committee may also refer the
matter to the DOS for further disciplinary review.

03.04† The dean of the college where the violation
occurred will be provided with all evidentiary materials from the Council
chair. The dean will render a decision and inform all parties including the
faculty member, student, AVPAAís office, and Council chair of the decision
within 10 business days. After receiving the deanís decision, the student or
faculty member has five business days to file an appeal to the provost and vice
president for Academic Affairs.

03.05† As
provided in The
TSUS Rules and Regulations, Chapter VI, Subsection 5.36, the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, or a designee,
will hear appeals of academic decisions and will reach a decision within 10 business
days with the understanding that additional time may be required to obtain
information or counsel pertinent to the decision. After an appeal has been
filed, the parties may communicate only through the provost and vice president
for Academic Affairs, or a designee, until the matter is resolved. Grounds for
appeal are limited to allegations that:

a.†† the universityís procedures outlined in this
policy were not followed. However, deviations from prescribed procedures will
not necessarily invalidate a decision or proceeding; and

b.†† the university has violated a right
guaranteed to the student by the Constitution or laws of the United States or
the state of Texas.

03.06† The provost
and vice president for Academic Affairs, or a designee, will render a final
decision on the appeal within a reasonable time and will inform all parties including
the faculty member, student, AVPAAís office, and Council chair of the decision.

03.07 Records of
students who are found guilty of academic misconduct will be†† maintained by the AVPAAís office for a
period of five years and then will be destroyed. These records are intended for
internal tracking purposes only and are not subject to open records/freedom of
information requests.